12th GALA FILM FEST:
Latin American Innovation
November 29 - December 3, 2023
Emerging young directors bring their unique and critical perspectives on the issues facing Latin America to the 12th Annual GALA Film Fest in Washington, DC. Six contemporary films from Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic, and a Mexican classic will screen at the Gala Hispanic Theatre from Wednesday, November 29, to Sunday, December 3. Enjoy Q&As with artists and experts, receptions, and more. Curated by Cinema Tropical Executive Director Carlos A. Gutiérrez.
All screenings at:
GALA Hispanic Theatre
3333 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC / (202) 234-7174
For tickets and information visit: www.galatheatre.org/post/gala-film-fest2023
ALTER
(Joaquín González Valliant, Uruguay, 2022, 71 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Q&A with director Joaquín González Valliant
This documentary follows the ups and downs of Sebastian, a psychologist and singer, who has a natural talent for imitating Mexican singer Luis Miguel. After being fired from his job, he tries his luck imitating the Mexican legend; and his life turns upside down. On the surface, everything goes well. But inside he struggles with multiple issues that create an identity crisis.He is tormented by his psychologist vocation, his aspirations of being a singer-songwriter, and the demands and pressures from his manager. The frontiers of his identity become blurred and what seemed to be a dream come true starts to transform into a reality that is difficult to bear.
SILENT WITNESSES
(Mudos testigos, Luis Ospina and Jerónimo Atehortúa, Colombia, 2023, 78 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Q&A with co-director Jerónimo Atehortúa
Silent Witnesses is an imaginary journey through the history of Colombia—and its cinema—during the convulsive first half of the 20th century, using solely the surviving footage of Colombian silent cinema. This melodrama love story of Efraín and Alicia traces the roots of political turmoil in Colombia. Efraín falls in love with Alicia, who is engaged to Uribe, a powerful and vengeful strongman. In a revealing journey into the heart of the jungle, Efraín witnesses the humiliating conditions of the peasants in the south of the country and the birth of an armed rebellion.
The film is the posthumous work of Luis Ospina, one of the most influential filmmakers in the Latin American documentary tradition, as well as the first film of producer and film critic Jerónimo Atehortua.
MARTÍNEZ
(Lorena Padilla, Mexico, 2023, 96 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Q&A with director Lorena Padilla
Martínez, a lonely and grumpy old accountant, leads an isolated and monotonous life. He suddenly confronts his impending retirement when his replacement starts working next to him. Meanwhile, his neighbor, a woman of his age, is found dead in her home. Although he never met her, Martínez discovers details about her life that positively impact his own behavior, leading his co-workers to think he has a new girlfriend. Ultimately, Martínez realizes that his life is still ahead of him. The debut feature by writer-director Lorena Padilla is set in Guadalajara and stars Chilean actor Francisco Reyes, protagonist of the acclaimed Academy award-winning film A Fantastic Woman.
I WOKE UP WITH A DREAM
(Desperté con un sueño, Pablo Solarz, Uruguay, 2022, 76 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
A teenager, who spends his days bike riding and rapping freestyle in his beach town home, takes an acting class behind his mother’s back and is offered a film audition. During his trip to Montevideo, he discovers family secrets, and figures out who he wants to be. This third feature film by Argentine writer-director Pablo Solarz is an endearing personal coming-of-age tale based on Solarz’s real-life drama student who also plays the film’s protagonist. The film was a favorite at the Berlin Film Festival and winner of the Critics Award at Spain’s Malaga Film Festival.
A MOVIE ABOUT COUPLES
(Una película sobre parejas, Natalia Cabral and Oriol Estrada, Dominican Republic, 2021, 89 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Filmmakers Natalia and Oriol are hired to direct a documentary about the lives of couples in love. The married film directors interview many couples about how they get along and their most typical problems. But as filming progresses, wounds in their own relationship offer an opportunity to rekindle their love for each other and for the cinema.
VICTIMS OF SIN
(Víctimas del pecado, Emilio Fernández, Mexico, 1951, 84 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Cuban-born acting-dancing sensation Ninón Sevilla plays a cabaret performer who adopts the abandoned child of her murderous pimp. The kindhearted club owner saves her from poverty and prostitution, amidst impassioned songs and performances of African, Caribbean, and Cuban dance styles. Rarely screened in the United States and long due for rediscovery, Victims of Sin is famed Mexican director Emilio Fernández’s unique blend of film noir, melodrama, and musical.
Now fully restored in 4K from the original 35mm nitrate camera negative, which was damaged over the decades, by Peter Conheim (Cinema Preservation Alliance/USA) and Viviana Garcia-Besné (Permanencia Voluntaria/Mexico). Permanencia Voluntaria and Cinema Preservation Alliance co-produced the preservation effort with further assistance from IMCINE and the Academy Film Archive, bringing Victims of Sin back to the screen with a clarity and depth not seen since its original release.
TRIGAL
(Anabel Caso, Mexico, 2022, 85 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Q&A with director Anabel Caso
Winner of two Ariel Awards (Mexico’s Oscars) for Best Supporting Actress and Best Breakthrough Performance, Trigal (Wheatfield) tells the story of Sofía, a thirteen-year-old girl who travels from the city to a country house in Sonora, in northern Mexico, to vacation with her uncle Francisco, her aunt Susi, and her cousin Cristina. While spending lazy days playing games and making discoveries, Sofía and Cristina are immersed in a love triangle with a man almost 20 years older. The outcome will mark the transition from puberty to adolescence for both. Featuring a powerful ensemble cast including Emilia Berjón, Alberto Guerra, Úrsula Pruneda, and Abril Michel, the powerful debut feature by Argentine-born director Anabel Caso is a poignant coming of age drama about female sexuality in puberty.
